Word for 2024
He goes before us. The battle cry of the Lord moving into 2024 is ‘He goes before us.’ He is preparing us for what’s to come next year. There are going to be great highs and moves of the Spirit, and discouraging lows as we watch additional things happen in the natural world. We are barreling towards the return of the Lord.
To be Upright On and Off the Stage
One of the words the Lord gave me was Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” This is a sobering word and thought. As we have moved through 2023, the Lord has started dealing with our sins and cleaning up the prophetic and other movements. He wants pure hearts and clean hands. As he kept highlighting it to me, he said “I want you to be upright on and off the stage.” In the stages of our lives, He is looking for people to be who they are on and off the stage. Whether you are a coach of a football team, a single parent, or a speaker on a stage, the Lord is looking for us to be the salt and light of the world this coming year. Psalm 66:19-20 goes on to say, “but God has surely listened and heard by voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who had not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” Praise God he hears our prayers. Let’s turn to him in each area of life and run after the things of him.
To Run Our Race
Each of us has a role to play in the Kingdom. And he’s gifted each of us with the ability to bring about his Kingdom in the lives of our families and surrounding communities. Do you know how he has gifted you? Are you bearing the fruit of these gifts in your life? Are you running after the things of Him? When we sit with the Father and meet him in the secret place, are you asking him what things he wants you to run after? When we chase the things of God, life is no longer boring. It’s exciting and exhilarating to see how he will use us if we just say yes. So, ask your neighbor if you can pray for them. Tell the cashier at the grocery store about Jesus, lay hands on someone and command sickness to go. That’s when the presence of God shows up and our race becomes fun.
He Goes Before Us
In Deuteronomy 1:30 it says, “The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes.” He is our rear guard and walks in front of us preparing the way for what’s to come. We are not to fear the pestilence of the day, but to walk boldly and in confidence of who our God is. He is who he says he is. He doesn’t waver, but we sometimes take our eyes off him and start to sink into the water. In the coming year, keep your eyes on him. He fights for you as you walk out of your personal Egypt. 2024 is the year of Psalm 24 and it says in Psalm 24:3-4, “Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.” The King of glory is coming. Are you excited to welcome him into your life and the lives around you?
As we come into 2024, don’t look onto it with dread, but with anticipation of all God is going to do. In the natural, it may appear bleak, but know God is working all things out for his good and glory. May we each run the race we are called to and know that our God goes before us each step of the way.
